GameStop asks you to pretty please provide your Xbox Live, PSN accounts

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Get out of the house and buy your DLC at a store

Poor little GameStop... with all of this digital content and DLC percolating all over the console world, it's really losing its fair share of revenue. But not to worry. Soon you'll be able to easily link your Xbox Live or PSN account to your GameStop account, so you can turn the simple process of buying something directly from your PS3 or 360 into something much more complex.

If you have a GameStop account, which is free, you'll soon be able to go into the store, ask the cashier to ring up a downloadable game or piece of DLC. By the time you get home, that purchase will be reflected on your PSN or Xbox Live account.

The retailer's SVP of digital business Shawn Freeman said in an interview this would make the process easier, since customers would no longer need to "go home, buy points, and then buy the content." We're pretty sure buying content at home is still easier...

Nevertheless, there are people who don't have credit cards, and in fact, GameStop claims that its sale of Xbox Live and PSN gift cards were equal to the amount of points customers purchased online.

By allowing GameStop to sell digital content, publishers will be forced to hand the retailer a chunk of their revenue, but Freeman sees it differently. "I would argue that we're not hurting their bottom line. If we're increasing their sales, we're helping their bottom line," he said.

It's not a confirmed deal yet, but Freeman indicated he's happy with the way discussions are going with the store's content and hardware partners.

[Source: Ars Technica]

Jan 13, 2011

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